Spy High (31 page)

I managed not to thump my forehead. Of
course he’d been lying; I knew damn well he had. I had believed him
because I wanted it to be true.

The memory of his possessive arms
tightening around me dragged a little groan of chagrin from my
throat. Speaking of tomcats squaring off…

Dammit, I’d find a way to make this
come out right. I wouldn’t choose a lover at the cost of their
friendship.

But maybe the decision was already out
of my hands…

The gong roused me from my miserable
contemplation, and I plodded out to kneel in the field with glum
resignation.

This was going to get ugly; I just knew
it. Maybe I should hide in the woods and wait for them both to
leave. I could sleep in the shed with Misty and the kittens; sneak
into the kitchen for provisions in the dark of night…

“The blessings of the Earth Spirit are
upon you!” Aurora’s unwelcome voice came far too soon.

By the time I got to my feet, Kane and
Hellhound were vectoring toward me from opposite sides of the field
and there was no escape.

If all else fails, pretend to be
oblivious.

I plastered a smile on my face as they
strode up and offered a hand to each of them. “Come on, let’s go
get some supper. I’m starving!” My voice almost cracked with
perkiness and I suppressed a wince.

They exchanged wary glances and fell
into step on either side of me. Bracketed by the two towering men,
I felt as though I’d regressed to grade school. With a supreme
effort of will I prevented myself from skipping and swinging our
clasped hands.

Nichele caught my eye and I gave her a
stare that promised slow and certain death if she came anywhere
near us. She returned a smirk and a wink and turned away to chatter
with Aurora, and I eased out a breath. She’d expect a play-by-play
with excruciating detail later, but it was a small price to pay for
her silence now.

“So, John, where did you blow in from?”
I chirped.

“Victoria.” He sounded decidedly
terse.

I repressed the urge to say ‘no shit’.
It wasn’t like there was any other way to get here.

I tried again. “Where were you before
Victoria?”

His gaze flicked over the scattered
commune members but none were in earshot.

“Classified,” he grunted.

All right. Fine. Time for a different
conversational gambit.

I lowered my voice. “We had an exciting
afternoon…”

“So I saw.” Kane’s reply was distinctly
edged.

A spurt of irritation dissolved my
discomfort. “That’s not what I meant, wiseass,” I snapped. “Our
excitement involved four guys with bayonets.”

“What?” For the first time Kane met my
eyes squarely, then glanced at Hellhound’s scowl before returning
his attention to me. “What happened?” Concern had replaced his
distant tone, and I drew a breath of relief.

“It’s a long story. A lot has happened
since you were here last. You remember I mentioned I was suspicious
of Orion…”

I paused long enough for him to nod
before continuing, “…well, it turns out he’s chummy with a group
that’s renting commune land across the river and they’re some kind
of wacko paramilitary group. I’m not quite sure what that means,
but I have a bad feeling I might find out soon. That’s why Arnie’s
here. I needed backup. So I’m glad you’re here, too.”

I squeezed his hand. “And I’m really
glad you made it back okay from wherever you were. I was worried
after not hearing anything for so long.”

“I was undercover.” He sounded curt and
defensive, and I suppressed my eye roll and held onto my warm
tone.

“I know, and I didn’t expect you to
call. I was just worried about you. That’s what friends do.”

After a moment of silence he sighed and
turned to face me fully, the hard lines of his face easing. “I
know. I’m sorry. I just…” He hesitated before finishing, “It was a
tough mission. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” He looked
beyond me to Hellhound’s stony profile. “I’m sorry. I was being a
jerk.”

Hellhound thawed immediately. “No
sweat, Cap. Tough mission; been there.”

“Thanks.”

We fell silent as we caught up with the
scattered groups of people straggling toward the kitchen. I
garnered curious stares as people took in Hellhound’s forbidding
face and tattooed bulk on one side of me and Kane’s square handsome
features and eye-popping physique on the other.

I led them to one of the vacant tables
and eyed the electric lights gratefully. “Good, the power’s on. We
can microwave our dinner instead of cooking on the woodstoves…” I
trailed off at the sight of the lineup in front of the microwave.
“…oh, hell, never mind. It’s probably faster to use a woodstove.
They’re always hot.”

“Can I help?” Kane inquired.

“No, that’s okay. I’m just going to
heat up some stew.” I leaned closer to whisper, “I bought beef when
I was in town the other day. Don’t tell the vegetarians.”

Both men chuckled, and I hurried to the
icebox to retrieve the contraband stew. By the time I had unearthed
buns and butter and cheese from the pantry and bowls and utensils
from the long counter, the stew was bubbling on the stove. We
loaded our dishes and silence fell again while we ate.

As soon as his bowl was scraped clean,
Hellhound rose. “Thanks for dinner, darlin’.” He leaned in to drop
a kiss on my forehead and whispered, “I’m gonna go scout around a
bit more. Gonna be at least two hours.”

“Wait.” I caught his hand. “You don’t
have to do that.”

His gaze darted to Kane. “Yeah, I
do.”

I blew out a sigh and pressed his hand
to my cheek before brushing a kiss over his knuckles. “See you
later, then.”

He nodded. “See ya.”

As he strode out, Kane met my eyes with
a bittersweet smile. “He’s the best friend we could ever ask
for.”

“Yeah.” I dropped my gaze to my bowl,
concentrating on scooping up the last drops of gravy. “Did you get
enough to eat?”

“Yes, thank you.”

An awkward silence fell.

I jumped up. “Well, I’d better get
these dishes done.”

“I’ll help.”

Kane followed me to the counter bearing
the dirty dishes and I focused on filling the dishpan, adjusting
the temperature with intense concentration. We made short work of
washing and drying the few dishes and I bustled around putting them
away and avoiding his gaze.

As I was wiping down the table for the
second time Kane laid a hand on top of mine, stopping the rapid
circles of my dishcloth.

“Aydan, can we talk?” he asked
quietly.

I bit my lip to prevent a sigh from
leaking out. “Okay. Let’s go back to my tent.”

I stalled for a few more seconds,
wiping out the sink and hanging up the tea towel and dishcloth, but
the earth didn’t open and swallow me so I resigned myself to my
fate and led the way.

As Kane and I strode down the path side
by side, he reached for my hand and held it in a gentle grasp. When
I glanced up at him, he smiled, and the tension in my shoulders
eased. I drew a deep breath and slowed my pace.

“So. Tough one?” I asked.

“Yes.” He walked on for a few paces in
silence before adding, “I’m glad it’s finished.” He drew a deep
breath of the moist cedar-scented air. “And I’m glad to be here.
But I’m looking forward to getting home.”

“I can imagine,” I agreed. “Me,
too.”

“It has been a long haul for you,
hasn’t it?” Kane glanced around the deserted trail and lowered his
voice. “What’s happening?”

I briefed him quietly while we walked.
We had just reached the path to my tent when a flicker of movement
caught my eye on the main trail ahead of us and a moment later
Moonbeam came into view. She smiled and beckoned when she saw us,
and we waited until she drew abreast.

“Welcome back, Sunstar Desert Hawk,”
she said to Kane.

“Thank you. It’s nice to see you again,
Moonbeam Meadow Sky,” Kane replied with his usual urbane charm,
gaining immediate brownie points for remembering to address her by
her full name.

Her smile brightened and she withdrew
another bead bracelet from her caftan. I had a momentary vision of
what the inside of that caftan might look like, lined with pockets
like a bazaar merchant’s tent; but I quelled the thought before I
could giggle.

She tied the bracelet onto Kane’s wrist
and took his hand in both of her own. “The blessings of the Earth
Spirit are upon you,” she said softly. Her eyes took on the distant
gaze of the seer, and her brow furrowed as she regarded Kane for a
moment. Then she blinked her vision back into focus and stroked the
back of his hand. “You are in better physical health than the last
time I saw you. That dreadful shadow has faded from your ribs. But
your poor aura…” She reached up to touch his cheek. “Please take
time to let your spirit heal.”

He offered her a small bow. “Thank you
for your concern. I will.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Have a pleasant
evening, my dears.”

“You, too,” we chorused.

Inside my tent, I secured the flap
behind us and lit a couple of candles against the deepening
twilight. Kane stood still and silent, and when I looked up, the
lines on his face were carved deep.

For the first time I looked closely at
him and realized that despite his superb muscular development he
still looked thinner than before he’d been shot. The sprinkling of
silver that frosted his short dark hair at the temples was
beginning to spread.

My heart squeezed and I sought his
tired grey gaze. Wordlessly, I opened my arms and he stepped into
them, burying his face in my hair. We stood locked together for a
long moment before he spoke, his voice taut with pain.

“There was a child,” he said into the
crook of my neck.

My heart stopped.

“A little boy,” he added, the words
barely audible.

I had to swallow hard and clear my
throat before I could force myself to speak. “D-Did he… Will he be
okay?”

“I got him out. He’ll live.” Kane’s
arms tightened around me, his voice scraped bare. “I don’t know if
he’ll ever be okay.”

“Oh, John.” Tears stung my eyes and my
words came out in a choked whisper. “I’m sorry.” I rocked him
gently, stroking his hair and murmuring soft nonsense.

After several moments he spoke again,
hoarsely as though the words were being wrenched from him under
torture. “That shouldn’t happen, Aydan. It just… shouldn’t
happen.”

“I know.” I tightened my embrace, my
heart breaking for him and for a little boy’s shattered innocence.
“I know.”

He drew a deep shuddering breath and
straightened. When I looked up at him his eyes were dry but his
face looked carved from bone, seared brittle-white as if by heat
fiercer than flame.

The phrase ‘fires of hell’ entered my
mind unbidden, and I shivered.

“I’m sorry,” Kane said quietly. “You
didn’t need to hear that.”

“Don’t apologize. Some things are just…
too much to carry alone.” I laid a hand on his arm, feeling the
tension thrumming in his muscles. “You’re tied up in knots. Lie
down and I’ll give you a back rub.”

He drew a breath as though glimpsing an
oasis in a hostile desert. “Would you? That would be great.”

“Of course…” The words got stuck in my
throat as he stripped off his T-shirt, unveiling massive shoulders
tapering down to a corrugated midsection. I’d forgotten just how
spectacular his body was…

I tamped down the rush of heat and kept
my hands to myself while he got comfortable face down on the
mattress. Now was not the time. He needed the caring touch of
another human being, nothing more.

Rummaging in my bag for something to
use for massage oil, I discovered the little pot of face cream
Nichele had given me for Christmas in her eternal but doomed hope
of turning me into a girl. I had forgiven her because the gift had
also included a delicious assortment of craft beers, but right now
the cream was exactly what I needed. As I smoothed it on and began
to knead Kane’s back, a smile tugged my mouth at the thought of
Nichele’s expression if she found out how I’d used her gift.

At least it was being appreciated. Kane
let out a long breath and the knots under my hands slowly
eased.

On his upper back I worked carefully
through the puckered network of scars that marked the devastating
exit of the bullet that had nearly ended his life several years
ago. On his side I avoided the still-reddened marks of the bullet
wound only a few months old. In between, my fingers glided over
other scars fading into near-oblivion, silent testament to a life
risked over and over to save others.

In the soft glow of the candlelight I
worked with my eyes half-closed, ignoring the expanding ache from
my arthritic thumbs while my hands searched out and soothed his
taut muscles in a slow hypnotic rhythm.

I startled when Kane spoke, his voice
muffled by the pillow. “Aydan?”

“Mmhmm?”

“I had really hoped we’d have some time
to talk a couple of months ago, but I guess I’ll just have to come
right out and ask you now.” He twitched his head on the pillow in a
gesture that could have been resignation or annoyance. “Since we
seem destined to never communicate unless there’s some crisis or
another.”

I gulped, trying not to let my hands
betray my sudden tension. “Uh… okay…?”

Keep the hands moving in gentle
circles. Slow, easy rhythm. Breathe. Some little part of my mind
yammered ‘oh shit oh shit’.

Kane blew out a breath. “Aydan, when we
were in Vegas before Christmas and I… got married…”

He hesitated. I wasn’t the only one
tensing up. I could feel the tightness creeping back into his
muscles.

“I… felt as though that upset you,” he
finished. “Is that true, or was I just imagining it?”

I abandoned the pretense of rubbing his
rigid muscles with my suddenly-wooden hands, and he turned over to
study me. Since I had been straddling his hips to reach his back I
ended up astride him, summoning blazing-hot memories.